Essex County star Finlay Wojtak-Hissong on the lessons he learned from these 3 books
Essex County premieres on March 19 on CBC TV and CBC Gem
Finlay Wojtak-Hissong, who is 11, began his acting career at the age of eight. He has appeared in The Kindness of Strangers, Blood, Dreamkatcher and Robin Wright's feature directorial debut Land.
Now, alongside Molly Parker, Stephen McHattie and Kevin Durand, Wojtak-Hissong stars in the television adaptation of Essex County. The show is based on the hit graphic novel by award-winning Canadian comic cartoonist and author Jeff Lemire.
Premiering in Canada on CBC TV and CBC Gem on March 19, Essex County follows the interconnected lives of two families in a rural Ontario community. The series explores how the effects of trauma, betrayal and loss can ripple through generations.
Wojtak-Hissong plays young Lester, a boy who has moved in with his uncle Ken, a farmer, after his mother dies.
Ahead of the show's premiere, he sat down with CBC Books to discuss three books and what he's learned from them.
Bone by Jeff Smith
"It was a fun read. The main character was someone nobody in the town liked, but he ended up defending the town from monsters. At the time, I was eight or nine, so I liked the idea of him defending the town and whatnot.
"It's just kind of cool to see this fake world where different things happen outside of a normal life. It keeps you young!"
Endurance by Alfred Lansing
"In 1914 and 1915, these 28 men, including the captain — his name was Shackleton — sailed out to the Antarctic, and they got stuck in ice. They obviously couldn't move, they couldn't go anywhere and no one knew where they were. So they tried to live on their boat for as long as they could. Eventually it started to crash because of the ice and water pouring in. So they lived on the ice floes for a year.
It was inspiring to me. Captain Shackleton managed to keep every single member alive.- Finlay Wojtak-Hissong
"Then they took the rescue boats and managed to get to an island called Elephant Island where they stayed for a long time. Then, Shackleton and some other men went to another island. They found a whaling station where they would hunt and kill whales.
"It was inspiring to me. Captain Shackleton managed to keep every single member alive. It shows me that even through the hard times they went through — obviously stuff that happens in my life probably won't ever [be like that] — but it was inspiring because it tells me through the hard times to keep on going because it will get easier.
"It's based on a true story. I love history. I love learning about different wars but also history in terms of learning what your ancestors went through for you to be alive today. I also like learning about how your parents grew up and about different countries. It's important to keep in touch with your history."
Essex County by Jeff Lemire
"When I was cast for the show, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the story. We went to the library and picked up the first volume.
"What the kid, Lester, went through was just very inspiring to me. To see what Lester went through, even through losing his mom and technically losing his dad in a relationship, he managed to find his way back to his uncle. At first he really didn't like his uncle but he managed to find his way back to him.
The book taught me that if you don't let your guard down and try to trust someone, then you never will.- Finlay Wojtak-Hissong
"He's this type of character where he's built up all these walls against people because he doesn't want to be hurt again. It's very inspiring that when he lets his guard down it is because he finds a new relationship in an old relationship.
"I felt like I could really bring that story to life. I knew when I was cast that it was going to be one of the most difficult shows that I've ever done in terms of the emotional [range] and just connecting with the character.
"The book taught me that if you don't let your guard down and try to trust someone, then you never will."
Finlay Wojtak-Hissong's comments have been edited for length and clarity.
WATCH | Introducing the five-part limited series Essex County:
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